1. The LIRR & MTA Haven’t Come to an Agreement

The opposing sides met in December and May to present their cases. Two emergency mediation boards sided with the unions, and called for the MTA grant to 17% raises over six years.
They also thought that workers, who presently do not contribute towards their healthcare, should pay 1% of base pay early in the contract with that rising to 2.25%.

However, at this point in time, there seems to be no form of settlement.

2. There Are 350 Buses Ready

These buses will transport commuters from eight locations in Nassau and Suffolk to three major subway stations in Queens.

The stations will be in Freeport, Bellmore, Nassau Community College, Seaford, Manhasset, Deer Park, Ronkonkoma, and Hicksville.

This will take care of approximately 15,000 customers. However, the shuttles will only run during rush hours, which means they will travel to New York City between 4-7 a.m. and come back to Long Island between 3-7 p.m.

If commuters use this shuttle option, they will need to account for the severe delays and overcrowding on the buses and subways in Queens.

On July 14, the LIRR posted the map above on Twitter, which illustrates the shuttles buses’ routes.

When the LIRR unions went on strike in 1994, Long Islanders had very limited options. There were no park-and-ride lots, no ferries, no real-time monitoring, no telecommuting. Today, the MTA has a far stronger, more robust, multifaceted plan. Working with the State and elected officials from across Long Island and the City of New York, we are providing more shuttle buses, thousands of parking spots near subway stations, a ferry service, real-time traffic management and real-time parking monitoring.

Angela Barbutistarted her reporting career in the seventh grade at her middle school newspaper in Queens. She covers celebrities, movies and television for Heavy. She's had lunch with Tony Danza, and Dave Franco said he liked her accent. Reach her at angela@heavy.com or follow her on Twitter @angciao.July 14, 2014 4:11 pm